Elevator



Dec. 16, 1930.

R. A. MoRToN ELEVATGR Filed Feb.

Patented Dec. 1K6, 193() c. UNITED STATES ROLLA` A. NORTON, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNoR 'ro WESTERN WHEELED' PATENT j OFFICE SCRAPRR COMPANY, or AURORA, ILLINOIS, 'A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS RLRVATOR Application filed Februaryf12, 1926. Serial `*Nol-872863.V

My invention relates to kelevators such as are commonly used on elevating graders, comprising a belt traveling over upper and lower rollers mounted on a suitable frame, and it has to do particularly with elevators in which the belt is caused to travel by power applied to a driving roller supported bythe frame at a point removed from the source of power, as for example at theV outer or upper end of the frame. In such elevators the roller; atv the upper end of the frame should be ymade adjustable longitudinally thereof to take up slack in the belt, and it should also be Capable Referring to of angular adjustment to some extentto maintain uniformity of tension at the:l Vopposite margins of the belt, and the objectof my invention is to provide a construction by which such driving roller `can be adjustedas neces.-`

sary without affecting the driving connectionsi by which it is driven from a more or less remote point, such as a motormounted on the frame of the grader. 'An example of an elevating. grading and loading machine of the type employing an elevator of this character is found in the application of Edward P. Henry `and myself, Serial No. 699,860, filed March 17, 1924, but while my' present invention isprimarily intended for application to an elevating grader of that character, it mayalso be applied in any other situation for which it is adapted.

The manner in which I accomplish my ,ob-3 ject will appear from the following description of my inventionv with reference tothe accompanyingv drawings. What-I regardv as new is set forth in the claims.

Fig. l is a plan view of the upper end portion of my improvedrelevator, some partsv being broken away and other parts ybeing shown in vlongitudinal section; f Fig. 2 is a cross-section Online 2-2 of Fig. V1. and ,j 1 v i ,Fig 3 isa partial side elevation ofthe upper end portion of the elevator with the driving connections omitted, showing the arrangement for angularly f adjusting the drivingroller. '1 j the drawings-4, `5-indioate theside members of an elevating frame lwhich are preferably in the form ofparallel chani nelbars, as best shown in Fig. 2, which may be jointed at their inner ends to permit of verticaladjustment of the outer end portion of the elevator with reference to the inner end portion thereof. Said .side members extend downtorv the lower portion ofthe machine with which the elevator is associated, and at the lower end of .Itherelevator frame a return roller is provided over which the conveyor belt runs. Tlieconnectionsat the lower endof .theelevator frame andthe return roller areknotshownfasAtheymay be of any approved construction. j f

Mountedupon the side members ofthe elevator v frame to move longitudinally thereof is "a tansverse support in the-form of aframe comprising upper.- andflower transverse plates 6,97 arranged .respectively above and below the side membersc, 51 andsupported by said side :members to slide longitudinally thereof, said platesbeing connected at their ends by vertical plates8,9, as best shown in Fig. 2. At the upper and lower ends ofthe plates 8, 9 are slide-blocks l0 that bear on the upper and `lowerfianges `ofthe sidejmembers Ll, 5, as shownin Figs. 2 and 3. f. The blocks 10 engagesaid side members looselyenough so thatifthe support is capable of' aw `limited amount of angular.` movement relatively to the sidemembers to permitangular adjustment ofthe roller hereinafter desoribedfor the purpose of adjusting thetension at thev bearing boxes 11, 12,respectively; in which are j ournaled the .ends 'of a transverse shaft 13 that Acarries the-driving roller 14 over 'which' the .upperI portion of the ,elevator belt l5 travels and .byj which it is driven. As shown ifnFigs; l `and 3, the `end portions of the shaft I3-extend through longitudinall slots 16,. 171 inthe outer ends ofthe side members 4, 5. Preferably the ends of the shaft 13 are mounted inball `bearings-18, 19 fittedin the bones11, l2, respectively. 4At one end, in the illustrated construction the-.right hand end, the shaft 13 is provided with` a bevelV gear `20 non-rotatablyfsecure'd thereto, which gearis provided with a sleeve-like hub 21 that fits in the ball bearing 19 and forms a journal for that end of the shaft 13. The gear 20 meshes with a bevel gear 22 non-rotatably mounted on a short shaft 23 that extends longitudinally of the elevator frame and is mounted, preferably in ball bearings 24, in a box 25 that is Carried by the plate 9 and is fixedly secured in right angular relation to the box 12, so that the axes of the shafts 13' and 23 are at right angles to each other, and the pinion 22 is held constantly in mesh with the gear 20. A housing 26 is preferably provided to enclose the gears 20, 22, the proximate endof theshaft n13 and also the ball bearings 19, 24.

The outer or lower end of the shaft-23 is connected by .a universal joint 27 and a telescopic connection 27a with a drive shaft 28 which extends longitudinally of the elevator frame at one side thereof and is driven from any suitable source of power, such as a motor mounted on the machine with which the elevator is associated. By this arrangement, the shaft 23 may be angularly and longitudinally adjusted relatively to the drive shaft 28, and consequently when the roller 14 is adjusted, either bodily longitudinally of the elevator frame, or angularly relatively thereto, the shaft 23 may either move longitudinally with relation to the drive shaft 28 or angularly relatively thereto as may be necessary topermit of such adjustment of the roller 14 in view of the i'ixed relation of the shaft 23'to the shaft 13 incident tothe connection o f the bearing box 25 with the box 12 and the plate 9A.

For adjusting the roller 14 bodily longitudinally of the elevator frame I'provide a rock shaft 29 mounted on the side members 4, 5, which shaft at one end carries a lever 30 and at the other end is provided with a crank 31. One end of the lever 30 is connected by a connecting rod 32 with a lever on the machine or any other suitable means for rocking the shaft 29. The other end of the lever 30' is s connected by links 33, 34 and a turn buckle- 35 with the plate 9. In like mannerjthe crank 31 is connected by links 36, 37 anda turn buckle 38 with theplate 8. Obviously by rocking the rock-shaft 29 the lever 30 and I crank 31 will be swung in unison, thereby moving the plates 8, 9 in unison longitudinally of the elevator frame and correspondingly adjusting the roller 14. If it be desired to adjust said roller angularly, this may be accomplished by adjusting one or the other of the turn buckles 35, 38. It is not essentialthat two turn buckles be provided, as the angular adjustment of the roller may be effected if one only be provided, although I prefer to use two.

Then the rock-shaft 29 is rocked the support comprising the plates 6, 7 slides longitudinally of the side members 4, 5 of the elevator frame, and as both bearing boxes 1l, 12 andalsothe box 25 are all carried by saidvsupport, the driving connections for the roller 14 are adjusted with it without being in any way affected by such adjustment. The performance of this operation of course involves longitudinal movement of the shaft 23 with relation to the drive shaft 23, but this is permitted by the extensible connection 27a between said shafts.

So far as I am aware I am the first in the art to provide an elevator with a driving rolll er adjustable longitudinally of the elevator frame, in connection with driving means, and driving connections between such driving means and the roller that are adjustable longitudinally of the frame with the roller, and I also believe myself to be the first to provide an arrangement of that character which will permit angular adjustment of the roller without disturbing the driving connections. My invention is therefore not limited to the specific construction shown and described, but includes such modifications or variations thereof as would occur to those skilled in the art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with an elevator frame4 comprising side members, a transverse support mounted on said side members for adjustment longitudinally thereof, said support comprising a plate extending across the frame below said side members, and a slide block between said plate and each of said side meinbers, of a roller, bearings for said roller, carried by said support, driving means, and driving connections between said driving means and said roller adjustable longitudinally ofthe frame with said support.

2, The combination with an elevator frame comprising side members, a transverse support mounted on said side members for adjustment angularly relatively thereto, said support comprising plates extending across the frame above and below said side members, and slide blocks between each of said plates and each of said side members, of a roller, bearings for said roller. carried by said support, driving means, and driving connections between said driving means and said roller adjustable with said support when it roller, bearings for the end portions of said shaft, carried by said support, a longitudinally disposed shaft mounted in bearings carried by said support, gearing connecting said shafts, and a drive shaft having an extensible and flexible connection with said longitudinally disposed shaft.

f 5. rl`he combination with an elevator frame, of a support mounted thereon and movable longitudinally thereof, a roller carried by said support, a driving gear connected with said roller, a pinion carried by said support and movable therewith, said pinion meshing ,with

said gear for driving said roller, a drive shaft extensibly connected with said pinion for driving the same, and means mounted on the elevator frame and connected with said support, and operable to move the same longitudinally of the elevator frame independently of said drive shaft.

6. The combination with an elevator frame, of a support mounted thereon and movable longitudinally thereof, bearings carried by said support, a roller having its end portions mounted in said bearings, a driving gear connected with said roller, a pinion carried by said support and movable therewith, said pinion meshing with said gear for driving said roller, a drive shaft, eXtensibly and flexibly connected with said pinion for driving the same, means mounted on the elevator frame and connected with said support, and l operable to move said support longitudinally of the elevator frame, and devices between the latter means and said support operablel to angularly adjust said support relatively to the elevator frame.

7 The combinationvwith anelevator frame comprising side members,'of a transverse support mounted on said side members to move longitudinally thereof, bearings carriedv by the opposite end portions of said support, a rollerhaving a shaft j ournaled in-said bearings, a longitudinally disposed shaft mounted in bearings carried by said support, gearing connecting said shafts, means operable to adjust said support longitudinally of the eleva-A tor frame, and a drive shaft extensibly connected with said longitudinally disposed shaft.

8. The combination with an elevator frame comprising side members, of a transverse support mounted on said side members to move I longitudinally thereof, bearings carried by the opposite end portions ofV said support, a 1

roller having a shaft journaled in said bearings, a longitudinally disposed shaft mounted in bearings carried by said support, gearf` v ing connecting said shafts, means operable to adjust said support longitudinallyv of the elevator frame, a driving shaft eXtensibly and flexibly connected with said longitudinally disposed shaft, and means voperable to adjust said support angularly relatively to theelevator frame.

ROLLAY A. MORTON. 

